Happy days are here again

Stew Goodwin

Friday

Jul 1, 2011 at 2:00 AM

In today’s United States, distress signals echo through nearly every public discourse. With the level of partisan wrangling and bureaucratic mangling escalating steadily could these signals echo for many years to come?

In today’s United States, distress signals echo through nearly every public discourse. With the level of partisan wrangling and bureaucratic mangling escalating steadily could these signals echo for many years to come? I am convinced that this does not have to be the case. Americans can wake up to the fact that it is time for us to put aside destructive differences, at least temporarily, and focus upon resolution of our country’s most pressing problems.

To begin with, people should change their karma by adopting FDR’s 1932 campaign song: “Happy Days Are Here Again” as their theme. Then they should disregard the wheedlings of corporations, plutocrats, and their captive politicians. Americans need to realize that the Constitution declares that this country belongs to its citizens, and not to a collection of special interests. It is our duty as citizens to rise from the grass roots and reclaim it. This process should begin immediately.

In a few days we will be celebrating the nation’s birthday, the Fourth of July, together. In the small community where I live, hundreds of participants and spectators will blend into one united spirit. This holiday spirit, which is by no means unique to my community, should be spread over more occasions and more subjects.

Frankly, I am ashamed by the pettiness that has intruded upon governance in this village, this town, this state, and this nation. It is disrespectful and counterproductive. As a people, we should resolve to tolerate this behavior no longer. If our representatives cannot conduct themselves with decorum as responsible adults, we should replace them with persons of character.

We Americans can demonstrate this resolve by applying it to four aspects of our economic situation. We have the basic skills to comprehend rational fiscal policy. Each of us (with the possible exception of myself) knows how to balance a checkbook. We know how to save money and reduce spending in order to live within our means. These are things we all have had to deal with every day. They constitute critical economic principles our representatives seem to have forgotten.

For the moment, we should put peripheral issues aside and concentrate on application of these principles to four key economic priorities. The first priority is straightening out Medicare and Social Security. Most of us want these services to continue, but acknowledge the need for their reform. In my Primer Rate column of June 17, I described how these two major budgetary categories (about 40 percent of the federal budget) could be revamped without significant transformation or disruption.

Priority two involves a related area, cutting spending on health care (about half of which comes from Medicare and Medicaid). Its costs consume about 20 percent of our economy, a percentage which is rising yearly. We must insist upon being presented with accurate health care numbers, not the ideological concoctions we have been given thus far. To accomplish this task there are a number of examples throughout the world (Germany is one) which illustrate how this can be done while keeping our system private. There are many ways to do this without succumbing to the fears put forth by anti-reformers. I have mentioned several of them in previous columns.

Priority three involves reduction of the growth-smothering, dangerously looming (especially if interest rates rise) national debt from 100 percent of Gross Domestic Product (including debt that our government has guaranteed) to 60 percent. With popular urging, government technocrats can develop a rational, orderly reduction plan. Reducing this toxic overhang will permit us to breathe fresh economic air for a change.

The fourth priority will require a joint public-private effort. We have to rebuild our badly neglected infrastructure with newly created jobs.

There is no acceptable reason why this country cannot conduct mature discussions to develop remedies for these four important priorities. Once this process is under way there will be plenty of social, environmental, and international issues for us to argue over (respectfully, I hope).

As each of you watches holiday fireworks, barbeques with friends and family, or rubs shoulders with others at the beach, I trust you will remember that over our 235 years of national existence greatness has come most profoundly when we have acted as a unified American people. That togetherness has been generated by understanding and compassion, qualities that deep down we possess in abundance. We can tap into these valuable reservoirs collectively, which will enable us to sing in unison: “Happy Days Are Here Again”.

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